by Anna Santos
Beth’s face lost its color. She looked at him, heart shrinking because she wasn’t going to escape as she thought.
“You need to learn that nothing is going to save you from me. You belong to me and we are going to be together, forever. Now, stop fighting me or there won’t be any baby coming out from your sister’s womb, at least, not by the natural method. I’ll just rip him out of her and choke it in front of you. Would you like that?” This time Beth cried. Tears ran down her cheeks and her chest contracted in pain. “Now, tell me how much you love me and how much you want me.”
“I love you, I want you.” Her voice came out strangled.
“Moan, baby,” he ordered, as he lifted the skirt of her nightgown. Before Beth could say anything else, Alaric was pulling his boxers down his legs and was taking her. “Hot and moist. So moist,” he exhaled against her neck. “Moan,” he ordered, moving faster. Beth cried more, closing her mouth to conceal the sobs. There wasn’t much difference for Alaric if she was crying in pain or moaning in pleasure. For him it was all the same, he just liked to abuse. He got aroused by it. She kept crying until he finished, put his clothes on and left, but not before ordering her to get dressed for the ritual and telling her how happy they would be together.
Chapter Fourteen—THE FACE TO FACE
ALARIC
Alaric entered the small room, where his men were keeping Valentina, with his commander closer by. His old lover was looking at the floor, her hands cuffed on her lap, and her black hair falling wildly down her face. She was still a stunning looking woman. Being a vampire only improved her looks. They had fun together until he decided that their futures weren’t as linked together as Valentina thought and wanted.
“Are you ready to undo the harm you did?” Alaric asked, making her stare at him with serene and observant eyes. She didn’t look scared. There was a glint of defiance in her posture.
“I guess I don’t have any other choice,” she said, smirking at him.
He frowned and put his arms behind his back. Valentina narrowed her eyes as if analyzing his reactions.
Arching an eyebrow, he asked, “Do you still hate me?”
“Does it matter?”
“Aren’t you afraid that I might kill you?”
“Do you think that I don’t know you will?”
“So why aren’t you scared?”
“You need me and I can help you with a lot more alive than dead, even after doing the spell you want me to do.”
Alaric smirked. “That’s a cocky statement.”
“I can help you with Jessica. I know that you aren’t happy with your dad marrying the witch.”
Straightening up, he shrugged. “I’ll think about it. I may be nicer to you if your spell of binding another soul to my own soul works.”
“What do you mean?” Valentina’s expression changed.
Alaric crouched down in front of her, speaking in a secretive manner. “Do you remember when you wanted us to be soul-mates?” She nodded. “I found someone that I want more than the pathetic soul-mate the gods designed for me. I need you to set me free from the curse because I don’t like to be vulnerable, but then I want you to bind my soul to another woman.”
Valentina didn’t speak, she seemed to be thinking. “What will you give me in return for that?”
Alaric sneered. The nerve of the witch. “Your life, maybe. But you are in no position to make demands.”
Against all odds, Valentina smirked. “I thought you’d be more upset to see me.”
He frowned. “Why?”
“You and I have a history together. I put a curse on you.”
Alaric stood up with a grin. “I’m feeling happy today. I got something back that I was wanting for a long time.”
“What was that?”
“You’ll meet her.”
“Can you remove me these shackles, then? They are uncomfortable.”
“I guess they are kind of pointless. But I don’t want you feeling too comfortable.”
The former witch argued, “I’ll need my hands free to perform the ritual.”
“Yes, you will.” Alaric stared at the two men behind him. “One of you go see if the bedroom where the ritual will be held is ready. And get my wife out of bed and escort her there.”
“I need to see the book,” Valentina said, looking sideways at the guy who left after Alaric’s command. “To look for the second spell.”
That got Alaric’s attention. “Don’t you remember it by heart?”
“I have better things to do these days than memorizing spells.”
“You sound and act different,” Alaric said. Valentina didn’t blink to his sudden remark. “There is something off about you.”
“Funny, you are a lot more composed than I expected. Everybody told me how mad you were, not to talk about the homicidal tendencies. You still sound as crazy as you were before, though.”
Alaric smirked. “You didn’t think that I was mad when we were sharing the same bed. In fact, you quite enjoyed my ideas to change the world.”
“Not all your ideas,” Valentina corrected him. He nodded. She added, “You betrayed me.”
Lowering his head, he declared, “That’s not how I remember what happened.”
“And how do you remember?”
“I have no wish to remember things about the past. I want to focus on my future. You are here to correct your stupid and pointless revenge and to obey my orders.”
“Why do you think I will?”
His body tensed with her continuous disrespect. He muttered, “You know what I can do to you. You’ve seen what I do to my enemies. You don’t want to be my enemy, do you?”
“Darling,” Valentina smirked at him, her voice seemingly calm and controlled, “I don’t think you have friends. You either have scared rats working for you or people trying to kill you. I was your only friend, I wanted to rule the world with you and you betrayed me. We are enemies.”
Alaric narrowed his eyes, apparently taking her words into consideration. “There’s something off about you,” he said, not quite sure about what it was. “However, there is something that I’m more curious about. Who is your mate? You’ve been hiding for ages. I thought you had died a long time ago. It came as a surprise when I saw you act like a lunatic in the video that the other witch sent me. Your clothes and your jewels are exquisite. You look serene and unafraid. Do you think that someone is going to find you and save you from me? My men went to a lot of trouble to bring you here without anyone following them. They removed the trackers from you. There are protective runes on my doors, you won’t be able to contact your mate by using your mind-link. I thought of that the moment I realized you had become a vampire.”
Valentina narrowed her eyes, clearly upset with what he was saying. “There’s a flaw in your reasoning.” Alaric tilted his head towards her, waiting for her to tell him. “I don’t want to go back to my mate.”
Alaric smirked. “Why not?”
“It’s a long story. But are we going to chitchat or will you take me to your mate so I can remove the curse?”
“And why are you so eager for that?”
“I want you to understand that you can trust me and I can be valuable for you. I’m a powerful witch and we seem to have the same agenda.”
“You are no longer a witch. You may be able to do some spells and potions but you have no real power. You are a vampire now. I have no need for another vampire.”
“I have access to witches.”
“I have a witch.”
“I have a lot more than one. Powerful witches who can help you stay hidden.”
Alaric informed her about the error in her proposal. “After this night, I won’t need to hide.”
She kept reasoning with him. “You can’t fight everybody alone. You need allies.”
“I have plenty of allies. Now, stop delaying the inevitable.” Valentina smirked. “What’s funny?”
“You have no idea of how many people there are that wan
t your head, do you?”
“Other pureblood vampires are sympathetic to my cause. These new trendy ideas of acceptance are going to fade away. Our bloodline needs to be protected and hybrids need to be killed. They are an anomaly.”
Valentine yawned. “Save me the speech, I know it by heart.”
“Are you going to perform the ritual or do you need some persuading?” Alaric questioned.
Valentina scowled with boredom. “Let’s get this over with.”
Alaric was going to turn around and leave but something stopped him. “There is something I would like to know before I leave.”
“What?”
“Who hid you all these years? Who is your mate?”
Valentina’s eyes lit up and she smiled impishly. “It’s a funny thing, actually. We are family since I married your uncle.”
“Which uncle?”
“Your mother’s brother, Francesco.”
“So, Uncle Francesco is mated to a witch and he’s been keeping it a secret for all these years…Interesting. Have you got any offspring?”
“No.”
“Don’t lie to me!”
“A daughter.”
“Did you have her when you were still a witch?” Valentina nodded and Alaric snarled in disgust. “A filthy hybrid. I guess it’s a curse in my family. I was the only one lucky enough to have a pureblood vampire mate.” Valentina was going to speak, but he held his hand up for her to hold her tongue. “Don’t. I’m done with you. I just want you to be smart and do what I want or I’ll have to hurt you and hunt down your child, cut off her head, and feed her blood to you.”
Valentina rolled her eyes and held her hands up. “Just take these off, they are pointless and I’ll need my hands to perform the ritual.”
Alaric motioned for his man to free Valentina from the handcuffs.
Then, he spoke again, “Conrad, I’ll get Beth. Make sure that Valentina arrives at the ritual room and that all the ingredients are there for the spell.”
Conrad looked up to the witch and signaled his man to grab her and take her away.
“I may take a while, but I’m sure you can handle a vampire without letting her escape or hurt Marie, can’t you?”
Conrad bowed his head in a sign of respect and Alaric strode his way out of the room.
Chapter Fifteen—OBSESSION
ALARIC
When Alaric entered his bedroom, there were two servants around Beth, helping her dressing and fixing her hair. She looked stunning, wearing the golden, mermaid, silk dress he had picked out for her. The makeup had cleared the pale and dim look of her face, however, she didn’t look any happier than when he had left. If anything, her body stiffened in alarm the moment she realized that he was there, watching her. Nevertheless, everything would change the moment Valentina performed the ritual to combine their souls. Then, he could remove the collar from around her neck and let her have some freedom.
“The witch is ready and waiting for us,” he informed. “I was hoping that you would be happier with the nice dress I bought for you to wear.”
“I’m extremely happy,” she whispered, closing her eyes when one of the servants wanted to put a bit more eyeshadow on. “It’s lovely. Yet, I don’t understand why you want me to get dressed like this while wearing this ridiculous collar around my neck.”
Alaric squinted his eyes, pondering if he should remove it or not. It was hurting her pretty, ivory skin. “It’s a special night for us. I want you to look your best.”
“I won’t look my best if you keep treating me like an animal.”
Alaric smirked. Despite all what happened, Beth was still resilient in speaking her mind and rebelling against his actions. “You know why you’re wearing that collar around your neck.”
“The only thing that I’m guilty of is killing Vincent because he wanted to kill my sister and her baby. I didn’t try to run away. I…did everything you wanted.” Beth folded her arms in front of her chest.
The servants had stopped and stared at the floor, clearly trembling from fear. No one dared to speak like that to him. Insubordination was dealt with cruel penalties.
“I’ll free you after the spell.” Beth looked him in the eyes. She didn’t normally do that. “Now, be a good girl and stop pouting.”
His words made Beth narrow her eyes and sneer at him. He waited for her to say something, but she just changed the subject. “Is Marie waiting for us?”
“Yes, you’ll see your sister.”
“Is the baby okay?”
“I guess.” He shrugged, and her eyes lost their shine. The baby was important to her, he knew that. He wished she could feel the same preoccupation and love when talking about himself. “I’m sure the baby is fine.” Beth nodded, staring at the floor. “I came here to get you.”
“I could get there on my own.”
“But I wanted to talk to you before the ritual,” he clarified, motioning the servants to leave.
They dipped their head in obedience, and, in a respectful manner, they left and closed the door behind. Beth didn’t stare at him, she kept her eyes on the floor.
Narrowing his eyes, he debated on whether he should order her to come to him or go to her. He decided to go to her, grabbing her hands and noticing how she startled with his touch. “I’m…sorry for earlier.” Beth tilted her head as if she was trying to decipher his words. “I’m going to be a lot more patient once you are my mate.”
“Yes, master,” she said.
Alaric frowned as he put his hand under her chin, forcing her to stare at him. She gulped when they made eye contact.
“I’ve waited for this moment for a long time. I’m feeling happy and gracious. After this, we can move from this house, go sightseeing, or go watch a show. What do you think? Would you like that?”
Beth shrugged, speaking in a compliant voice. “Whatever you want, master.”
“I couldn’t trust you before, but after the binding spell, there won’t be any reasons for you to want to escape from me. We can go on vacations. Marie needs somewhere quiet to ensure her pregnancy. You could use some sun yourself. You are too pale and skinny. I like you with a bit more meat. Didn’t Vincent feed you?”
“He did. I just don’t like to feed on the source.”
“I ordered them to bring you a jar of blood,” he said, looking around the bedroom, and saw the jar on a small table with a glass half full. “You should have drunk more.”
“I’ll drink later.” Alaric nodded, then he looked at the closed veils.
Beth asked, “What’s the problem?”
“I can’t quite put my finger on it but there is something off with Valentina. She’s not how I remembered her to be.”
“It’s been how long since you last saw her?”
“Almost two hundred years.”
“People change.”
“Yes, but she’s too calm for someone who hates my guts.”
Beth looked away before asking him, “Are you going to kill her when she finishes doing what you want?”
He put his hands inside his pockets and shrugged. “I don’t know. She can be useful. And she’s family.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s married to my uncle. Can you believe that? She’s my Uncle Francesco’s soul-mate. Talking about being a small world.”
Beth didn’t say a thing about that. Instead, she changed the subject. “Are you really going to let the baby live?”
“Yes, Beth. If you are a good girl, I’ll let your sister keep the baby. Marie will be happy to have you back by her side.”
“She hates me.”
“No, honey,” he said, softened by her sad tone when saying those words about her sister. “We will love each other from now on. She will love you too. We’ll be a happy family.
Chapter Sixteen—INFILTRATION
ANNABEL
There was a single guard at the gate and he was reading a magazine. Anna scrutinized the surroundings, looking for the hiding assault team which
could be concealed to get them. Something was off, it was too easy. Shane was in her thoughts, exchanging ideas with her, assuming that Alaric was cocky enough about his safety that he didn’t have many guards at the entry. Then, they talked about how they were going to neutralize the guard without sounding the alarm. Anna wanted to pretend an injury or that her car broke and she needed help, so the guard would come out and she could knock him out cold. Shane was against the idea, noticing that it was a cliché and overused in the movies. It would raise a red flag and the guy may have orders to kill on sight. He wasn’t going to put Anna’s life in danger. Instead, he threw a rock, hoping the guy was curious enough to go see what was making noise. Anna face-palmed herself because of the lack of creativity, and mentally rolled her eyes, making Shane smirk.
Yet, his plan didn’t work, the guy was so concentrated on reading that he didn’t hear the sound of the rock falling in the bushes.
Anna focused her vision on what the guy was reading. It turned out that he was drooling over sexy, almost naked guys’ pictures and not actually reading.
“Don’t even think about it,” Shane muttered in her head, making her mentally chuckle. “Besides, he will know that I’m a werewolf and it will be suspicious all by itself.”
“Well, at least, you were right. It wouldn’t work if I was the one showing up. He wouldn’t fall for my charm.”
“Maybe, but I’m not going to take my shirt off just to test your theory,” Shane replied to her.
Anna mentally chuckled and grabbed a bigger rock, throwing it against the gate, and startling the guy out of his chair. He looked around, frantically scanning for the origin of the loud sound. Putting down the magazine, he got up and leaned against the glassed window of the gatehouse to check the night. Another rock flew and landed in the bushes, making him jump back. He was a frightened security guard and Anna sighed out of frustration. He would probably call someone instead of checking what was outside. She saw him reach for the phone, then retreat and put the phone down. After a moment, he grabbed a shotgun and got out. Before he could step farther, Shane appeared behind him and snapped his neck, and he was out cold. Then, he pulled the body inside the gatehouse and Anna landed behind the gate, signaling him to open it so the others could get in once they arrived.